Deputy President Paul Mashatile has, in his capacity as Acting President, declared a Special Official Funeral Category 2 as a mark of honour for the late struggle stalwart and former Minister in the Presidency, Dr Essop Goolam Pahad.

Pahad passed away at the age of 84.

He will be laid to rest at the Westpark Cemetery, Johannesburg, this afternoon n a ceremony in which ceremonial honours will be provided by the South African Police Service (SAPS).

The Deputy President will deliver the eulogy in his capacity as Acting President. President Cyril Ramaphosa is currently undertaking a State Visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Earlier, the President paid tribute to Pahad for serving the nation with pride, principle and pragmatism.

"We mourn the passing of a veteran of our struggle, 65 years after he took his first revolutionary step of becoming a member of the Transvaal Indian Congress.

"Security crackdowns, banning and exile shaped Essop Pahad's contribution over decades to our struggle and, as Parliamentary Counsellor to President Thabo Mbeki and Minister in the Presidency, to the early design and impact of our democratic state.

"Essop Pahad was a thinker and strategist who brought his understanding of the human condition, injustice and inequality at the national and international level to bear on our transition to democracy and in introducing a democratic, non-aligned and activist South Africa to the global community," the President said.

He said he served the nation with a charm that that lived comfortably alongside a tongue that could lash severely at the right provocation.

"May his soul rest in peace," the President said.